I doubt any time soon. Outside of toys, aviation did a humongous leap in tech advancement in the first 50 years of existence (from wooden frames to jet engines) , and comparatively no advancement in the last 50 years (maybe better fuel economy and that gps thing). Safety and the fear of endless lawsuits will stagnate drones for quite awhile. Sad.
I think drone deliveries will happen within the next few years, somewhere, as part of a (pilotless) pilot program.
I don't think drone deliveries will happen where I live for a long, long time. Not a big enough town, my house right now is just outside an air force base, and my next house will likely be more rural.
Never mind deliveries... let's thing bigGER! Saw this (relatively, something like $200-$300k) cheap manned-drone on the news the other day. Autonomous taxi drones, I believe. I'm sure they'll work on getting redundancy to acceptable levels, plus add in frame-attached parachutes, external pre-impact airbags and such... and then... cyberUber of the future can get me to downtown in 5 minutes! Woohooo!
Something like this, but with a carbon fiber phone booth in the middle.
Way before it's ready for prime time.... I guarantee it. :)
I'll get a delivery from a drone when Santa brings me Jessica Alba.
For Hanukkah.
I live in a rural forested area. Drones won't deliver here in my lifetime.
I doubt any time soon. Outside of toys, aviation did a humongous leap in tech advancement in the first 50 years of existence (from wooden frames to jet engines) , and comparatively no advancement in the last 50 years (maybe better fuel economy and that gps thing). Safety and the fear of endless lawsuits will stagnate drones for quite awhile. Sad.
I think drone deliveries will happen within the next few years, somewhere, as part of a (pilotless) pilot program.
I don't think drone deliveries will happen where I live for a long, long time. Not a big enough town, my house right now is just outside an air force base, and my next house will likely be more rural.
Never mind deliveries... let's thing bigGER! Saw this (relatively, something like $200-$300k) cheap manned-drone on the news the other day. Autonomous taxi drones, I believe. I'm sure they'll work on getting redundancy to acceptable levels, plus add in frame-attached parachutes, external pre-impact airbags and such... and then... cyberUber of the future can get me to downtown in 5 minutes! Woohooo!
Something like this, but with a carbon fiber phone booth in the middle.
Oh... I think this is the one I saw:
http://gearbrain.com/ces-2016-gear-up-on-iot/
@jester747 A few steps up from the chain saw motor ultralights of my youth. Stealth the music on vid. before playing. Headachhhhhe!!
If I know Vermont... When someone goes public trying to do it... it'll be outlawed in the state.
When goats fly.
@Barney
I think, that like many ideas, it will briefly be a novelty, but will be impractical because something even better will be invented.